Coal screen and bagger.



Patent ed July l6, l90l.

'lApplication Med Jan. 23, 1901.)

(No Model.)

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I UNITED STATES PATENT OFF-ICE.

JULIUS P. LOWE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO GEORGE E. WI-IIPPLE, IDA B. LOWE, AND HARRY G. BUKER, OF SAME PLACE.

COAL SCREEN AND BAG GER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 678,840, dated July 16, 1901. Application filed January 23, 1901. Serialllo. 44,402. No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JULIUS P. LOWE, of Boston, in the county of Sufiolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Ooal Screens and Baggers, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

My invention relates to an apparatus for screening and bagging coal.

At the present time it is a general practice among retail coal dealers in delivering a customers order to screen the coal and then to shovel it into bags and to convey these bags in wagons to the house of the customer, where the coal is emptied into the bin or other receptacle. This method requires the services of two men to load a wagon-one to hold the bags while the other shovels in the coal.

The object of my invention is to provide an apparatus by which the coal may be screened and also may be directly transferred from the screen to the bags by its own gravity and to provide means by which a man holding the bags may automatically start and stop the flow of coal into the bags, thereby obviating the necessity of a man to shovel the coal into the bags.

In accordance with this invention a suitable screen is supported in an inclined position by uprights and provided with side boards along its inclined edges, thereby forming a trough with a screen-bottom adapted to receive the coal as it comes from a hopper or is shoveled thereon. At the lower end of the screen is disposed a chute, through or along which the coal passes as it comes from the screen. This chute is hinged at the lower 4o edge of the screen and is adapted to be turned upward on its hinges, and in this upturned position will serve as a gate for stopping the flow of the coal from the screen, and means are provided for moving this chute into its upturned position for stopping the flow of the coal. Means are also provided for looking the chute in its upturned position and for releasing it to allow it to fall into its normal position to thereby allow the coal to flow from the screen and to be delivered to the and the uprights a a are connected, re

spectively, by crosspieces, as 70 k k 70 disposed at substantially right angles to the uprights. Two of the cross-pieces, as 7c and 10 are disposed near the top of their respective uprights,'and the other two, as Zoand 10 are disposed near the bottom of their respective uprights, the relative height of the upper and lower cross-pieces being determined by the pitch desired for the incline of the screen S. Said screen S is stretched diagonally across the frame thus formed and fastened to two of saidcross-pieces, as It and k To further support said screen S and to strengthen said frame, diagonal braces are disposed between said uprights, two of said braces, as b and 12 being between the uprights a and a and two, as b and b being between the uprights a and a Said braces b and b are arranged and disposed to correspond with the pitchof the incline of the screen S and to permit the inclined edges of said screen to be fastened thereto. 85

d d are side boards disposed along the upper part of said inclined edges of said screen above the said braces, forming, with the screen, a trough for the passage of the coal. H is a hopper of any suitable construction and disposed to deliver the coal onto the upper part of the screen S. At the lower end of said screen a chute, as O, is hinged, as at h h, to a part of the frame, preferably to the cross-piece is, forming substantially an ex- 5 tension of the trough formed by said screen and side boards and into which the coal may flow as it comes from said screen or :by the upturning of which the flow of the coal therethrough may be stopped. Said chute O is 1C0 formed with a bottom, as c, and side pieces, as 0' c and said bottom and side pieces are arranged to converge from said hinged end to form a suitable delivery to the coal-bags.

On the uprights a and a, at their jointure with the cross-piece 76' and extending a sufficient distance upward and outward therefrom, are'disposed shields or guides, as 'r r, which form substantially extensions of the side boards d d, and said chute O is made of su fficient width to closely fit over said shields, which thereby form an intermediate passage between said screen and chute. Means are provided for upturning said chute C on its hinges for stoppin g the flow of the coal therethrough, consisting, as herein shown, of a treadle-lever, connected through a rocking lever and suitable links with said chute. On one of the uprights, as a a treadle-lever, as

F, is pivotally connected, as at f, disposed and arranged to extend beyond and beside the upright a and held thereto from sidewisemotion by a suitable guide, as 1. To a part of the supporting-frame, preferably to the cross-piece k, is pivotally fastened a rocking lever, as M, connected at one end with said treadle -lever F by a link, as m. The other end of said rocking lever M is connected by another link, as m with a yoke, as Y, which is pivotally connected to the outer ends of the sides 0' c of the chute C. The'outer end of said treadle-lever is adapted to be moved downward by a pressure of the foot of the operator, and it will be understood that when said treadle lever is thus moved downward the chute will be drawn up on its hinges to a sufficient angle to prevent the How otthe coal therethrough. Means are provided for locking said chute O in its upturned position and for releasing it, consisting, as herein shown, of a locking-lever having a hand-engaging portion projecting up- Ward in proximity to said chute and held in position to automatically engage a detent on said treadle by means of a spring. I wishit to be understood, however, that I do not limit myself to the means herein shown for and is then bent to form a portion, as 9 which passes along under the chute C and is then bent upward and outward to form a portion, as g, in proximity to the side of said chute, the extremity of which is formed with a hand-engaging portion, as 9 and said lever is adapted to be pressed down by the hand of the operator as he holds the coal-bag in receiving position at the end of the chute. On said portion 9 of the locking-lever G is formed a projection, as 9 arranged and disposed to normally project into the path of said treadlelever F as said treadle-lever is moved up and down in said guide f Said projection g is shaped to allow said treadle-lever in its downward movement to displace said locking-lever from its path, but after thus passing said projection to be held locked from upward movement by the engagement of said projection with said treadle-lever. A spring, as g is adapted to hold said locking-lever and its projection in looking position. It will be seen, therefore, that when the treadle-lever is pressed down the chute will be raised to its upturned position and held there by the engagement of the locking-lever with the treadlelever and that when the handle portion of the locking-lever is pressed by the hand of the operator the treadle-lever will be released and the chute will fall by its own weight and allow the coal to flow therethrough.

Means are or may be provided for adjustably regulating the flow of the coal over or along the screen; but I do not wish to limit myself to the means herein shown, as it is evident that other means may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of my inyention.

The front oblique wall, as Z, of the hopper has a gate, as 2 at its lower end adjacent to said screenS, which is hinged to said Wall and adapted to be moved and held in a position near to or farther from said screen to thereby regulate the opening or passage from the hopper for coal of different sizes. A lever 2 is pivoted to the brace 19 at 2 having acam portion 21 adapted to engage said swinging gate a and to move it more or less in proximity to said screen as the lever is operated on its pivot. Said lever is disposed and made long enough to extend beyond the front of the supporting-frame-Within easy reach of the operator, and it will be understood that when said lever is moved more or less said swinging gate will be moved more or less and the flow of the coal over the screen thereby regulated. The cam portion 2 of said lever will hold the swinging gate in whatever position it may be placed. The lever 2 is pivoted to the brace b by means of a bolt which draws the lever hard against'said brace, and by'thus holding the lever it will be seen that it will in turn hold the gate, which bears upon its cam portion '2 I claim- 1. In an apparatus forscreening and bagging' coal, the combination of an inclined screen, a supporting-frame therefor, a delivery-chute hinged to said frame at the lower end of said screen, a treadle connected with said chute for upturning it on its-hinges to stop the flow of the coal therethrough, and a locking device for holding said chute in its upturned position, substantially as described.

2. In an apparatus for screening and bagging coal, the combination of an inclined screen, a supporting-frame therefor, a delivery-chute hinged to said frame at the lower end of said screen, a treadle connected with said chute for raising it on its hinges to stop the flow of the coal therethrough, and a looking device for holding said chute in its upturned position having a hand-engaging lever in proximity to said chute for operating said lockin g device to release said chute, substantially as described.

3. In an apparatus for screening and bagging coal, the combination of an inclined screen, a supporting-frame therefor, a delivery-chute hinged to said frame at the lower end of said screen, a treadle connected with said chute for raising it on its hinges to stop 

